Adoption Process

The first step towards adopting is ensuring that you are ready to adopt and prepared to make a life long commitment to a new furry family member.

As we are a foster based rescue and all of our dogs are in private homes, we require an Adoption Application to be submitted prior to setting up a meet with a dog. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant and will not be processed. This process is not meant to be arduous. It is meant to gather relevant information in order to help us find the dog that is the right match for your home and lifestyle. Adding a new family member to your home is a big decision. We want to ensure it is the right fit for your family and for the dog. Our team of volunteer Adoption Counselors work to match applicants with the dog that fits your home and lifestyle. Please keep in mind that the dog that you apply for may not be the right match for you. We reserve the right to decline or reject any applicant.

We complete an in depth telephone interview, reference checks and a home check prior to approving an applicant for adoption. Adopting with Spirit of Hope Rescue is a multi-step process. Final approval for adoption does not occur until all steps have taken place. Please don’t be alarmed if you don’t hear from us right away as we are all volunteers with our own busy careers, families and fur babies while dedicating an enormous amount of our personal time to running one of the largest foster based rescues in the province. We do our best to respond in a timely manner. If you don't hear from us, please feel free to send us an email. It is the best way to contact us to ensure a response. The initial application process may take up to a week.

Once you have been approved for adoption and have found your perfect match, you will be required to meet with an Adoption Counselor to sign an Adoption Contract and pay the adoption fee prior to the release of the dog into your care.

Out of Province Applicants

We adopt out of province on a case by case basis provided the applicants come to Winnipeg to meet the dog, sign the Adoption Contract, and transport it home. A satisfactory home check must be completed by a reputable area rescue prior to the adoption. We do not ship dogs out of province to adopters and we do not adopt dogs out "sight unseen". You must meet the dog you want to adopt to ensure that it is the right fit for you, your home, and lifestyle.

Vetting

We work with several different vet clinics. Our primary care clinic is Plessis Veterinary Hospital with Dr. Bhandari, Dr. Virdi and staff. Plessis Veterinary Hospital is open 7 days a week and is open Monday to Friday until 9:00 pm.

In 2017, SOHR spent nearly $250,000 on veterinary care. In 2016, we spent over $260,000 on veterinary care. Please consider donating so we can continue to save lives and provide hope!

Our Return Policy

By entering into the Adoption Contract with Spirit of Hope Rescue (hereafter SOHR), you are agreeing to take guardianship of an animal and all responsibilities for its care. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, providing: adequate shelter, routine and emergency veterinary care, regular grooming, complete nutrition, frequent activity, supervised socialization, and behavioral training. Your application to adopt an animal through SOHR has been approved based on the information that you provided including, but not limited to, the applicant's: financial ability, family stability, and sincere willingness to work through any challenging or problematic behaviors.

All domestic animals require training. SOHR strongly encourages that you, the adopter, invest the time and financial resources in shaping the pro-social behaviors of your animal by completing either obedience training or seeking the assistance of a professional training. SOHR will provide the adopter with a one-time refund of $50 when provided with proof of completion of obedience training.

Our team of volunteer Adoption Counselors make every effort to match the right dog to your home to ensure it is the right fit for you, your family and your lifestyle. There is a two week trial adoption period that if, for whatever reason there is an issue with the dog fitting into your home, the dog may be returned to SOHR and a refund of 50% of the adoption fee will be provided. No refunds will be made after the two-week trial adoption period has ended.

NO animal adopted from SOHR, is to be given away, surrendered to another rescue or shelter, or advertised for sale by you, the adopter, without the expressed written permission of SOHR. It is the adopter's responsibility to contact SOHR to discuss options for re-homing the dog. Options may include, but are not limited to: re-homing the dog to a family member or friend of the adopter; SOHR advertising for a new foster or adopter through its website, public and private social media pages or third-party websites; having the adopter work with a reputable trainer or behaviorist; seeking a placement with an out of province rescue; and all at the adopter's expense or at SOHR's discretion.

SOHR is not a public shelter and does not have a holding facility for its animals. If the adopter is no longer willing or able to care for their animal, SOHR may require the adopter to explore other placement options as noted above before accepting an animal's return to rescue. SOHR is a foster based rescue; therfore a foster must firest volunteer to accept a surrendered animal into their home home if the adopter requests to return the animal to rescue. Until a suitable foster or adoptive home is found, it is expected that the animal will remain with the original adopter, suitably cared for as required the Adoption Contract and law, until such a time as that animal can by placed by SOHR. Once an appropriate foster home becomes available, SOHR will contact the adopter to arrange for the animal to be delivered to the designated foster home.

Adopting a furry family member is a huge commitment for the remainder of the animal’s life. It requires a lot of investment that includes love, patience and time. Having a new dog or puppy is always exciting but please be sure that you are ready to adopt and prepared to make a lifelong commitment to your new family member. Rescue dogs are getting a second chance to find a forever family. We want your adoption to be forever.

We want adopters to invest in their dog's training rather than letting the dog train itself! As an incentive, we offer a $50 refund when you complete obedience training with your SOHR puppy within 6 months of adoption and show us proof of completion. First time dog owner's or inexperienced dog owner's may be asked to commit to obedience training in order to adopt from SOHR.

Although we make every attempt to match the dog to the home, we recognize that there may be times when that match is not the right fit. If you choose to surrender your dog, it must come back to Spirit of Hope Rescue. Once an appropriate foster home is available, arrangements will be made to return your dog to the rescue. This may take several days or weeks as we are a foster based rescue, not a public shelter. The dog cannot be re-homed without the rescue’s permission.